In speech to Spanish parliament, pope demands respect for the dignity of all people
Pope Leo XIV is flanked by Francina Armengol, President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain, as he arrives to meet with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. Yara Nardi/Reuters Pool via AP hide caption MADRID — Pope Leo
Pope Leo XIV is flanked by Francina Armengol, President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain, as he arrives to meet with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. Yara Nardi/Reuters Pool via AP hide caption
MADRID — Pope Leo XIV called Monday for newfound respect for the rights of migrants and international law during an address to the Spanish parliament that signaled a new level of acceptance of the Catholic Church in the public sphere in the overwhelmingly secular country.
In the first papal address to the Spanish legislature, the American pope said a "moral renewal" was necessary in legislatures and public life to ensure respect for the inherent dignity of all people, including migrants, the unborn and the most vulnerable.
"The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile," Leo said.
Speeches by popes to foreign legislatures are rare, since they can imply recognition of a religious leader by lawmakers. Pope Francis addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress in 2015, and Pope Benedict XVI addressed his native German Bundestag in 2011.
The mere fact that Leo was invited to speak at Las Cortes Generales, as the parliament is known, showed a level of acceptance for the Catholic Church in a political setting that might have been unthinkable even a few years ago. The Catholic Church was a pillar of Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorship, during which it enjoyed broad control and influence over Spanish society, but that waned after democracy took root in the 1970s.
While many Spaniards still identify as Catholic, religious observance has dropped off sharply amid secularizing trends seen in other once-staunchly Christian countries.
And yet at the end of his speech, lawmakers from across the political spectrum gave Leo a minutes-long standing ovation with chants of "Viva el Papa!" — "Long live the pope!"
